A Farmer's Journey To Immortality

Chapter 721: Demerits of Establishing the Emerald Cove Guild

Because there was no body, face, or mortal soul to question, Aksai’s investigation ended before it even began.

He slowly lowered his hand. Replaying the last few seconds in his mind, his expression darkened.

“This wasn’t suicide,” he muttered. “This was a seal.”

Someone had made sure the assassin would never be captured alive. A hidden trigger, likely tied to his life force or a command buried deep within his flesh and bones.

Aksai scanned the hall with his Spirit Sense, Qi Sense, and Aether Sense.

Nothing.

No trace of another presence. No lingering soul. Not even a clear residue of the spell used. Whoever planned this had been extremely thorough.

Aksai looked down at the blood-stained floor. For the first time since leaving isolation, a cold anger stirred in his chest.

Someone had dared to reach into his palace. And worse, they had almost succeeded.

He stared at the ruined hall in silence.

“What the hell was wrong with that assassin?” he thought. “If he really wanted to leave no clues behind, he should have destroyed himself properly. Instead, he made a mess that I now have to clean up. I’ll have to torture the ones behind this incident extra hard for making me do this kind of work.”

The Spirit farmer cursed the assassin and his handlers. Then he lifted his right hand.

A calm fire gathered above his palm. It was not wild or loud. It burned quietly, glowing with a deep red light. With a simple wave of his hand, the fire spread across the floor like flowing water.

Thanks to the fire elemental pool and his deeper integration with the Verdant Elder’s auxiliary Dantian, Aksai had gained a strong understanding of the fire element as well. His Spirit Root Aptitude originally made him compatible only with wood, water, and earth. But with the Qi Shell, the Aether Beast, and the Verdant Elder’s auxiliary Dantian, his Spirit Root had begun to change.

Although his aptitude had not increased, his Spirit Root had started to become compatible with elements it had not been suited for before.

The flames touched the flesh and bones.

There was no scream. No smoke.

Everything burned away cleanly.

The mutated Verdant Elder’s serpentine tail carried the same mastery over fire. It seemed that Aksai had gained access to the snake tail’s fire-element skills and its innate Spirit spell after advancing further in the Core Formation realm.

In just a few breaths, the remains of the assassin turned into fine ash. The fire continued to move, licking the floor and walls, erasing every stain of blood.

When the flames faded, the hall looked exactly as it had before.

Clean. Neat. Pristine.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Aksai lowered his hand and turned toward the maids, who were frozen in fear around the hall.

His voice was calm and steady.

“Anyone who is injured, go to the palace healers at once,” he said. “Thank you for being good company right after my close-door cultivation ended. Don’t take this incident to heart. Things like this happen.”

He paused briefly.

“Those who are unharmed, return to your quarters and rest. I’ll ask you to serve me again when I have time.”

The maids finally snapped out of their shock.

“Yes, my Lord!”

They bowed deeply, their movements hurried and respectful. Some helped others who had fallen or been scratched during the chaos. One by one, they left the hall in silence.

Soon, only two figures remained. Violet and Zara.

They walked forward slowly. Their heads were lowered. Their usual calm was gone, replaced by guilt and unease. Without a word, both women dropped to their knees.

“This is our failure, my Lord,” Violet said, her voice tight. “We did not notice the threat.”

Zara followed right after her, bowing until her forehead touched the floor. “Please punish us. The palace security was careless under our watch.”

Aksai did not respond. He simply stood there, looking ahead with a neutral expression.

The words kept coming from the maids’ mouths, but he did not listen. He already knew. They were not at fault.

Someone who could bypass his senses, use forbidden Spirit spells, and plant a death seal was not something ordinary guards or maids could stop. Punishing them would solve nothing.

Aksai raised his hand slightly. The two maids fell silent at once.

“Enough,” he said calmly.

They stiffened but did not dare to look up.

Aksai closed his eyes. His Spirit Sense spread outward, moving beyond the palace walls. It reached deep into the island itself, linking with the massive third-order array formation that covered all of Emerald Cove.

The formation responded at once. Streams of information flowed back into his mind.

Active Array Eyes. Position of the Sentient Fiends that are part of the formation. Barrier strength. Energy flow. Detection nodes. Defense layers.

Aksai examined everything carefully. He searched for cracks. For forced entries and signs of breach.

After a few minutes, his Spirit Sense finished scanning the entire island. The third-order array formation was stable.

Every node was in place. Every layer was intact. There were no cracks, no forced entries, no signs of damage.

“Hmm? It’s strange. There was no break-in?”

The modified Devil’s Den formation had not been breached. Aksai slowly opened his eyes. That made no sense.

Someone had launched a deadly attack inside his palace. The assassin had appeared right beside him, past layers of security that should have stopped even a Core Formation Lord.

Yet the island’s main formation showed no problem at all.

Aksai frowned slightly.

His gaze drifted to the clean floor where the assassin had vanished moments ago.

If the array was untouched, then how had the assassin entered Emerald Cove… and reached the inner palace?

He did not speak out loud.

Instead, he sent a silent thought.

“Nuri,” he called.

There was a short pause. Then a calm and familiar voice responded inside his mind.

[Master, I am analyzing the data.]

Aksai waited.

His fingers slowly curled into a fist as different thoughts crossed his mind.

After a few moments, Nuri spoke again.

[Master, the modified Devil’s Den formation has not been breached.]

Aksai’s eyes sharpened.

“Then what happened?” he asked silently. “Someone clearly got inside.”

Nuri paused again, as if sorting through layers of records and permissions.

[Master, although the main formation remains intact, someone has managed to gain access to the island’s identity token.]

Aksai’s heart skipped a beat. His brows knitted together.

“An identity token?” he asked. “Did someone manage to forge one? I thought our Essence Equation runes were encrypted well enough.”

Those 3rd Order runes had been designed carefully by the Neural Link Fabric itself. They were complex, layered, and tied directly to the island’s core rules. Forging such a token should have been nearly impossible.

Nuri answered without delay this time.

[Master, no identity token was forged.]

Nuri seemed hurt that Aksai even doubted her rune encryption capabilities.

Aksai’s confusion deepened.

“Then how?” he asked.

Nuri continued in a steady tone.

[Master, forging an identity token is not the only way to gain access to the inner layers of Emerald Cove.]

Aksai froze.

A thought flickered in his mind, faint but troubling.

Nuri spoke again, her words slow and clear.

[Master, did you forget that you established the Emerald Cove Guild twenty-two years ago, before you entered close-door cultivation?]

[Becoming a core member of the Emerald Cove Guild grants privileged access to the island’s inner zones.]

Aksai’s eyes widened slightly. Only then did he remember the fact that he had indeed established Emerald Cove Guild to expand his influence and gain some more profits. The establishment of the guild had indeed achieved those goals but it had also created a security concern.

That being said, Aksai could have never imagined that there would be someone who would dare to assassinate a Lord.

Silence filled the hall. Aksai finally understood. The assassin did not break in. He walked in. Using rules that Aksai himself had put in place.

Aksai then sighed and opened his eyes and looked at the two women kneeling before him.

“Enough,” he said calmly. “Get up.”

Violet and Zara rose at once, their movements quick and disciplined. The guilt on their faces had not faded, but they stood straight, waiting for his words.

“You’ve done your duty,” Aksai continued. “This matter goes beyond palace security. Go back to your quarters and rest.”

The two maids hesitated for a brief moment, then bowed deeply.

“As you command, my Lord,” Violet said.

They turned around and began to walk away. Just as they reached the edge of the hall, Aksai’s voice came from behind them.

“One more thing.”

Both of them stopped and turned back.

Aksai looked at them with a faint smile.

“I forgot to congratulate you,” he said. “You have both successfully entered the mid-stages of the Foundation Establishment realm. I expected nothing less from capable Spirit cultivators like you.”

Surprise flickered across their faces. Violet’s eyes softened. Zara’s lips curved upward. Aksai coughed lightly and cleared his throat before continuing.

“Come to my chamber tonight,” he said in a steady tone. “Bring along a few new maids who are close to you. I will reward you personally for your achievements and your hard work over the years.”

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